The Young Iraqis of Derby----- (1) .

A story of a clash of cultures, background, customs and behavior of an English midland quite society with young visitors from a 1962 Iraqi Society .    

Arriving at Derby :

Five Iraqi students, 2 from Basra, 1  from Babylon , one from Baghdad and one from Zakho  descended from the train at Derby station .They came to do their GCE  A and O levels at Derby and District College of Technology  in preparation for their  Engineering University Degrees.

Good afternoon. My name is Birch .You are the Iraqi students coming to study at Derby Tech.?  Asked  a late thirty's  Englishman as the group stood at the platform with their luggage looking for somebody to meet them from the college.

Yes, said the group with a collective nod.

Mr. Birch: Ah, very good, well the college sent me to pick you up and take you to your residence.

Incidentally I have a house for you with two bedrooms upstairs and a hall and a kitchen downstairs which I hope you will find very comfortable, continued Mr. Birch as he was leading the group out of the station.

Mr. Birch opened the back of a Bedford van. Please load your luggage here he said. , After the loading was  completed , He opened the slide  door of the van saying:  please ,I hope you don’t mind I used my van instead of hiring a bus for you which will be a little bit costly  .

The van stopped at 90 Byron Street. Here we are said Mr. Birch, this is the place, He got out of the van opened the slide door and the back of the van   , then proceeded to open the house door.

In the big room upstairs there were three beds, in the small room there were two beds. Every one selected his bed placed his suit case on top and then went down with Mr. Birch were he showed them the hall and the kitchen.

I live next door, the corner shop from the house is also mine. I have arranged for an old lady to come and cook for you said Mr. Birch and left .

Later on in the afternoon  Mr. Birch came through the kitchen door, with him came a stocky built lady with reddish complexions.

Mr. Birch: This is Mrs. Mumford she is your cook. Then he excused himself  and left  Mrs. Mumford  to cook the dinner .

The  group  gathered round Mrs. Mumford in the kitchen to listen to her Derby accent  as she explained : Well boys I don’t Know what you eat in your country but I am making you a hearty beef stew with plenty of vegetables  as you must be starving .

She continued as she was chopping the vegetables and throwing  them in a very large pot . Mr. Birch told me You don’t eat pork .

Hama interjects : what is pork ?

Amjad volunteers :  Pig.. Pig .

Falah : Khenzeer … Khenzeer .

Hassan to Mrs. Mumford  : Yes  we don’t eat pork.

Mrs. Mumford : You don’t know what you missing boys , bacon and egg  is lovely in the morning, pork chops  with apple sauce is very nice ..

Falah : what is all this ?

Amjad : All pigs .

Hameed : Pigs are dirty and have worms .

Mrs. Mumford  : Not in here boys .

Amjad : God said pigs not halal .

Hassan : You are right Amjad but they didn’t have pigs then in the desert to chase  .

Mrs. Mumford shouts joyfully take your seats , dinner is ready boys. She dishes out the stew and add mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts to the plates  .

The boys sat at the table and asked for a loaf of bread each and went in action .

Mrs. Mumford  stands at guard : Ok Boys ?

OK Mrs. Mumford came a muffled reply .  

Derby - Iraq